Parents

Youth Mental Health – A Shared Concern

Charles Miller-Fik, a parent, mental health professional and university lecturer in mental health nursing at the University of East Anglia shares his views and advice on young people’s mental health.

by
Charles Miller-Fik

First Published:

28 Feb 2018

A culmination of better reporting, reduced stigma and greater awareness is being reflected in what some may say is a ‘crisis in youth mental health’. Here’s what I believe are some of the likely underlying societal causes of this apparent crisis, and what parents, teachers and others might do in relation to a young person’s early presentation with anxiety and / or depression.

Underlying Societal Causes

Many young people experience a lack of engaged (as opposed to superficial) connection with others. This is largely due to the growth of electronic communication including social media; and in part families that have developed silo structures where members ‘do their own thing’ minimising shared experiences.

Secondly identity confusion, and whilst this is a normal part of adolescent psychological maturation, it is compounded by a deep sense of failure if there’s no perceived chance of being ‘rich, sexy, famous etc’. These are of course artificial constructs perpetuated and legitimised by the mass media arguably to sell false hope to the masses, and to maintain a particular economic system that benefits a minority of individuals. In addition, the UK ‘Brexit’ issue has taken away the European sense of self for many and as yet does not present a credible alternative.

This links into my third proposition that many of today’s youth find difficulty in establishing a sense of integrity, meaning and purpose in an increasingly complex world.

My final proposition is that many young people have lost hope. Hope of good job that realises their talents; hope of being able to afford a decent place to live; hope of living in a safe secure world; hope that they will be accepted just as they are.

The manifestation of this can be observed in the youth population by an increase in the prevalence of: anxiety, depression, deliberate self-harm and conduct disorders. Indeed according to the voluntary organisation YoungMinds, one in ten young people aged five to sixteen (typically three in every classroom) have a diagnosable mental health condition.

How To Help Youth Mental Health

The short course that colleagues and I have produced in partnership with FutureLearn addresses the issue of youth anxiety within a wider mental health context. It’s important for parents and teachers to acknowledge and offer support as soon as they are aware a young person may be feeling anxious about a situation or event.

Both parents and teachers should avoid rhetorical phrases such as: “calm down”, “don’t be silly”, “there is nothing to be afraid of”, or “everything will be alright”. Rather actively listen and validate the young person’s unique experience and ask them if they can make any sense of what is going on.

Often co-existing with anxiety is depression. If parents or teachers are concerned about a young person being depressed, they should first see if they can identify any symptoms of depression. These may include: low mood; a loss of interest in activities they normally enjoy; withdrawal from social contact; irritability and expressions of anger.

If these symptoms are observed, ask the young person how they are, and let them know you’ve noticed changes. They may tell you to go away and say that they are ok, so ask frequently and don’t be put off. Both parents and teachers need to give the message that they are there to talk with when the young person is ready to do so; always keep the conversational door open.

Early intervention and positive active referral to specialist help, often via a general practitioner is the key; the younger the person is, and the closeness to presenting symptoms the better the life prognosis following treatment.